UCSD vs UC Davis vs UCLA for Premed

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - San Diego
1

Posting in all three forums
Hey everybody! I’m currently torn between these three UCs. I am a bio major at all of the schools and received Regents at SD and Davis.

I am aware that prestige matters little for Med School admissions and that GPA and MCAT scores are very important for admission. Many times, top students in High School under-perform at higher ranking universities during undergrad, preventing many from getting into medical school. As such, I’m having a very hard time choosing between these three schools.

UCLA

  • Viewed as more prestigious
  • Great social scene
  • Availability of research/volunteer experience
  • Harder to get a higher GPA
  • Harder to get classes
  • Most expensive option (27k)

UCSD

  • Slightly easier to get a higher GPA
  • Cheaper option (24k)
  • Availability of research/volunteer experience
  • Easier to get classes thanks to Regents
  • Socially Dead?
  • Party scene seems to be very small compared to LA and Davis

UCD

  • Easier to get a higher GPA
  • Cheapest option (20k)
  • College town experience
  • Easier to get classes thanks to Regents
  • Not as prestigious as the other two
  • No hospital close to campus
  • Harder to get clinical experience
  • Cows (lol just kidding)

*All of the above is based off of anecdotal evidence and the many posts, forums, and articles I’ve read about medical school admissions and these three schools.

2

I’d count UCD out, those cons are too big. There’s one hospital in all of Davis and the medical center is in Sactown–UCSD and UCLA have top-tier medical centers right on campus. Regents is a great perk and SD is an excellent school for premedical studies. Your only cons there seem to be the socially dead issue, but let’s be real being premed means you’ll be dead inside no matter what. As a current student I can also tell you that while the party scene isn’t in your face like it is at the other two schools, it definitely exists and as long as you make an effort to talk to people you’ll be able to find things to do every weekday and weekend.

3

UCSD Pre Med acceptance rate:

http://career.ucsd.edu/undergrads/interest-areas/pre-med.html#Medical-School-Admissions-Data

UCLA:

http://www.career.ucla.edu/Students/Resources-Reports-and-Media/Med-School-Stats

However, UCLA has much less number of applicants than UCSD. UCSD has 2.5 times higher. Probably UCLA has restriction on pre med advising.

Maybe USCD is better.